Clinical Interventions Following Escalations from a Continuous Respiratory Monitoring Service in Patients With...

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Digital Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Continuous respiratory monitoring aids integrated care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.
• Uncertainty exists regarding outcomes of proactive identification and escalation of at-risk COPD patients.
• This study analyzes clinical interventions following remote escalations in a real-world COPD cohort.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze clinical interventions during outpatient visits after remote escalations from a continuous respiratory monitoring service.
• To evaluate the impact of remote escalations on provider and patient burden.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, observational study of 168 COPD patients enrolled in a continuous respiratory monitoring service for at least one year.
• Analysis of 245 outpatient visits occurring within 7 days of an escalation.
• Manual review of medical charts to categorize clinical actions taken by providers.

Main Results:

• 84.1% of outpatient visits resulted in clinical intervention following escalation.
• 66.5% of visits led to treatment for acute exacerbations of COPD.
• Only 1.6% of escalated visits resulted in emergency department referral.

Conclusions:

• Provider encounters after remote monitoring escalations consistently result in patient treatment.
• Continuous respiratory monitoring facilitates timely and effective clinical interventions for COPD patients.